1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to display apparatuses, and more particularly, to a display apparatus having an improved coupling structure of a front cover and a rear cover between which a panel support supporting an LCD panel is housed.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display apparatus collectively refers to monitors for TV sets or computer systems, and includes a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor and a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor.
In a CRT monitor, if fluorescent materials of monochrome, or R (Red), G (Green) and B (Blue) colors coated on an inner surface of a panel of the CRT emit light with different brightnesses or colors by electron beams with different amounts depending upon video signals with different intensities. The CRT monitor is cost-efficient and has an excellent performance, and therefore, it has been popularized. However, the CRT monitor is bulky, thereby giving users inconvenience in use.
In the LCD monitor, if voltage is supplied, the arrangement of molecules in a liquid crystal is varied, preventing light from passing through. The LCD monitor enables production of a thin flat monitor. However, the LCD monitor is expensive in comparison with the CRT monitor and is inferior in resolution to the CRT monitor.
Herein below, a display apparatus comprising an LCD panel, being contemplated by the Assignee of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
The display apparatus is, as shown in FIG. 10, comprised of a front cover 112 and a rear cover 127 coupled to each other to form a space therebetween, an LCD panel 140 having an active face on which a picture is displayed, a panel support 142 supporting the LCD panel 140, and a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly 144 supported by a PCB cover 146 so as to transmit an electric signal to the LCD panel 140.
The front cover 112 is comprised of a front frame 114 formed with a window 116 through which the active face of the LCD panel 140 is exposed to the outside, and a flange 117 bent from every side of the front frame 114 toward the rear cover 127.
On the rear face of the front cover 112 are provided a plurality of first bosses 118 formed with threads therein so as to be engaged with first screws 135 passing through first screw holes 133 formed in the rear cover 127. On the rear face of the front cover 112 are also formed a plurality of second bosses 120 formed with threads therein so as to be engaged with second screws 141 passing through second screw holes 145 formed in the side flanges 143 of the panel support 142, being spaced from the respective first bosses.
The process of assembling the display apparatus with this configuration will be described.
The LCD panel 140 is coupled to the panel support 142 so that the active face of the LCD panel 140 is directed toward the front cover 112. Then, the second screw holes 145 formed in the side flanges 143 of the panel support 142 are placed to communicate with the second bosses 120 formed in the rear face of the front cover 112, and the second screws 141 are inserted through the second screw holes 145 into the second bosses 120, thereby coupling the front cover 112 with the panel support 142 and the LCD panel 140.
Thereafter, the PCB assembly 144 is mounted to the rear face of the panel support 142 so that the PCB assembly 144 is electrically connected to the LCD panel 140. The PCB assembly 144 is then enclosed and supported by the PCB cover 146.
The rear cover 127 is then disposed so that the first screw holes 133 formed in the rear cover 127 are communicated with the first bosses 118 of the front cover 112, and the first screws 135 are inserted through the first screw holes 133 into the first bosses 118, thereby coupling the front cover 112 and the rear cover 127 to each other. Hence, the assembly of the display apparatus is completed.
In the display apparatus, however, because the front cover 112 and the panel support 142, and the front cover 112 and the rear cover 127 are srew-coupled, the assembly becomes complicated and time consuming.
Further, to couple the front cover 112 with the panel support 142, the separate side flanges 143 have to be prepared at the panel support 142, and accordingly the breadth (B) (refer to FIG. 11) of the front frame 114 of the front cover 112 is large, in order to accommodate the side flanges 143 (refer to FIG. 10). The large breadth B of the front frame 114 raises the cost of production of the front cover 112, and prevents a slim and compact design of the display apparatus. Furthermore, when a user stares at the display apparatus, an optical illusion may be caused because the active face of the LCD panel 140 seems smaller than its actual size relative to the enlarged front frame 114.